IC=EPI--I didn't realize that you went to KY (Lexington: houses, rent)

[gimme it]

It seems that you like Versailles. Can you tell me if there were any neighborhoods that you thought were especially nice in Lexington? I hope you enjoyed your trip. We go in 10 days!

[nlschr0]

Yes - share your thoughts! Versailles is a nice town, and usually not a bad commute (unless Keeneland is in session lol).

Did you make a trip into Midway? It is also Woodford County - it is a quaint, historic railroad town that has a main street with shops, cafes, etc. It is also the home of a small liberal arts women's college, which brings that unique blend of backgrounds that you find in a college town.

Gimme - are you planning to visit both Lexington and Louisville in your trip?

[gimme it]

Hi there,

Yes, we are going to see both cities. I have a list of neighborhoods to see in each place. We also want to get a feel for the cities. My husband is leaning towards Lexington (sight unseen), and I have no idea yet. As Ic-epi has shown, you can go there expecting one thing and deciding on an entirely different area or neighborhood.

[stx12499]

Originally Posted by gimme it

Hi there,

Yes, we are going to see both cities. I have a list of neighborhoods to see in each place. We also want to get a feel for the cities. My husband is leaning towards Lexington (sight unseen), and I have no idea yet. As Ic-epi has shown, you can go there expecting one thing and deciding on an entirely different area or neighborhood.

What areas are you considering in both cities? Your husband may like the S. Indiana side of Louisville if he likes a "smaller town vibe." Jeffersonsville is nice around Veterans Parkway, and Floyds Knobs, IN is beautiful! (with great public schools)

[gimme it]

Hi Stx,

Of course, we will check out St. Matthews and Highlands, and then on to areas that look like they have established neighborhoods such as Barbourmeade, Prospect, Douglas Hills and Middletown. Anchorage is too expensive. I assume we will also go to Oldham County and look around. My husband has an interest in seeing La Grange. I think he likes a walkable downtown and not just strip malls. Anywhere in Jeffersontown that you suggest?

[ic-epi]

Yes, we had a great weekend visiting Lexington! Actually we drove, which took most of Friday (getting there) and Sunday (going back) but we had some of Friday afternoon/evening, all day Saturday, and part of Sunday morning.

I found the people to be very friendly (not just polite) which was so refreshing! There was not a single rude person (or even unfriendly person) and I am definitely going to love that. Lexington is a very beautiful city, and for the size of the city there truly aren't any really bad areas. The north side is definitely not as nice as the south end in most places, but the entire city is just very lovely. There is clearly a lot of money, as there are incredibly beautiful houses all over. Particularly in the downtown area subdivisions (Chevy Chase and Ashland Park) the houses were breathtaking -- huge, historic mansions.

We ended up driving on Nicholasville Rd at about 5:30pm Friday afternoon, so although we were heading towards downtown rather than away from it, the traffic coming the other direction was busy but not overwhelming. It was a lot worse than the weekend traffic though -- we had no problems with traffic all weekend.

Nlschr0: We didn't get to Midway (not enough time) although that is on my list to see next time.

I did like Versailles and the drive from Frankfort to Versailles with all the horsefarms was beyond beautiful. I think we will be focusing our search on the SW end of Lexington or Versailles -- not sure which yet. There are advantages to both. I have to point out that part of the reason we're seriously considering Versailles is that we are really more used to small towns (the town we live in now is 60,000 and we were raised in towns of about 6500), and so the thought of a city the size of Lexington is more "foreign" for us than some other people (who might even have the opposite opinion). However I do feel that we will be able to find a nice, comfortable area within Lexington to make our home, if we go that route.

Gimme It: I'll send this now and write more about specific subdivisions later - hopefully that will help you for your upcoming trip! I guarantee that seeing things in person will give you a much better perspective of everything.

Oh by the way, we did go by Winburn Middle School (the northside school where the QAC gifted cluster kids are bussed). The neighborhood was a little rough around the edges compared to the south end of Lexington, and there was evidence that there was more crime in the neighborhood (bars on convenience store windows and doors, etc) but the school was located in a sort of isolated area at the end of a street (apartment house across the street from it) and the school itself looked ok. We didn't get there early enough for a tour, but it was nice to at least see the neighborhood.

More later.

[stx12499]

Jeffersontown has somewhat of a small downtown with a good NYC stlye pizza place at the corner of Watterson Trail and Taylorsville Road. There is a nice subdivison called Stone Lakes at the intersection of 265 and Taylorsville Road that feels kind of upscale and secluded but is mostly brick homes under 300k. Middletown also has a quaint downtown and an awesome high school. Check out the area around Eastern High School. While you may not be able to afford "Anchorage" proper, you can surely afford the areas around it. Douglass hills has that established 1970s era park like neighborhood feel. Another area to check out is the city of Hurstbourne.

La Grange is actually a quaint little town with lots of shops and restuarants on town square divided by railroad tracks! It is basically a Louisville exurb nowadays, but the traffic isn't too terrible going into the city.

If your husband likes "quaint walkable areas," he will love Norton Commons. The community is in its second year of a 10 year build out but will have 5,000 residents in a traditonal town atmposphere where everything from doctor's offices to ice cream parlors are integrated into the neighborhood. Be sure to check it out and the subdivisions out KY 22 when you are near Prospect:

http://www.nortoncommons.com/

I still think the area you will like best is the area around the intersection of Trevillian Way and Valley Vista in the lower Highlands. It is affordable, nice quaint, and friendly. There are even some newer homes in that area, off Newburg Road and Sylvan Way.

You will probably immediately notice the size distance when comparing Louisville and Lexington, and that both cities have a distinct "vibe." I would not forget to look at the old houses around Frankfort Avenue while in the St. Matthews area.

[Micah Girl]

Originally Posted by ic-epi

Yes, we had a great weekend visiting Lexington! Actually we drove, which took most of Friday (getting there) and Sunday (going back) but we had some of Friday afternoon/evening, all day Saturday, and part of Sunday morning.

I found the people to be very friendly (not just polite) which was so refreshing! There was not a single rude person (or even unfriendly person) and I am definitely going to love that. Lexington is a very beautiful city, and for the size of the city there truly aren't any really bad areas. The north side is definitely not as nice as the south end in most places, but the entire city is just very lovely. There is clearly a lot of money, as there are incredibly beautiful houses all over. Particularly in the downtown area subdivisions (Chevy Chase and Ashland Park) the houses were breathtaking -- huge, historic mansions.

We ended up driving on Nicholasville Rd at about 5:30pm Friday afternoon, so although we were heading towards downtown rather than away from it, the traffic coming the other direction was busy but not overwhelming. It was a lot worse than the weekend traffic though -- we had no problems with traffic all weekend.

Nlschr0: We didn't get to Midway (not enough time) although that is on my list to see next time.

I did like Versailles and the drive from Frankfort to Versailles with all the horsefarms was beyond beautiful. I think we will be focusing our search on the SW end of Lexington or Versailles -- not sure which yet. There are advantages to both. I have to point out that part of the reason we're seriously considering Versailles is that we are really more used to small towns (the town we live in now is 60,000 and we were raised in towns of about 6500), and so the thought of a city the size of Lexington is more "foreign" for us than some other people (who might even have the opposite opinion). However I do feel that we will be able to find a nice, comfortable area within Lexington to make our home, if we go that route.

Gimme It: I'll send this now and write more about specific subdivisions later - hopefully that will help you for your upcoming trip! I guarantee that seeing things in person will give you a much better perspective of everything.

Oh by the way, we did go by Winburn Middle School (the northside school where the QAC gifted cluster kids are bussed). The neighborhood was a little rough around the edges compared to the south end of Lexington, and there was evidence that there was more crime in the neighborhood (bars on convenience store windows and doors, etc) but the school was located in a sort of isolated area at the end of a street (apartment house across the street from it) and the school itself looked ok. We didn't get there early enough for a tour, but it was nice to at least see the neighborhood.

More later.

Wow, that really was a flying trip! I am excited that we will be in Lexington exploring for about 10 days --we're making it a vacation, too. I am thinking that we need to get the lay of the land in Lexington and then check out Versailles, Georgetown, Wilmore, and Nicholasville. We like short to no commuting time and will probably both be working or studying in the city. I also want to visit Berea which will probably be way too far for us but I've been dying to visit ever since I started researching KY. We'll also go into Louisville, I'm sure, just for fun.

[lexingtongal]

If you're in Lexington during a weekend be sure to take in the Farmer's Market, on Sat morning, dowtown on Vine St. It is a great way to start a weekend.

[nlschr0]

Just in case there was any confusion, there are two towns with similar names that are suburbs of Louisville. The first one, as Stx mentioned, is Jeffersonville. It is an Indiana town, just across the river. The other is Jeffersontown, which is in KY to the southeast of Louisville and within the Jefferson County Schools. I know a lot of visitors get them confused!